


Pente

by Lullabymoon



Category: Star Trek: Alternate Original Series (Movies)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-04-10
Updated: 2013-04-10
Packaged: 2017-12-08 03:00:14
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,269
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/756215
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lullabymoon/pseuds/Lullabymoon
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A romance in five kisses.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Pente

**Author's Note:**

  * For [anr](https://archiveofourown.org/users/anr/gifts).



> For the mccoy_chapel exchange on lj. Prompt: 5 times McCoy and Chapel kissed. Hope you enjoy!
> 
> Thanks to seren_ccd for the beta.

**1.**

They deposited a giggling Sanders on his bed. He promptly rolled over and started softly snoring. Christine couldn't help but share an amused look with Len, and she was glad Len stumbled just as much as she did as they made their way out of Sanders' apartment.

"Some people just can't hold their liquor at all." Len grumbled.

Christine burst into laughter and leaned against Len as she struggled to breath.

"You say that like you aren't drunk either." She leaned a little further into him: he was delightfully warm against the chill of the night.

"It isn't that funny." He sounded a little put out.

"I'm not denying I'm drunk either." She laughed again.

She gradually managed to recover, and she ignored Len as he rolled his eyes at her. He didn't drop her arm though, and they slowly walked down the street until they reached her building. She reached out and fumbled for her code.

"You smell good."

Christine turned around to face him, and found him standing just in front of her. The urge to laugh again bubbled up. "How much did you drink again?"

She saw Len stare at her lips and she smiled. 'Why the hell not?' ran through her head, and she pulled him closer. The kiss deepened quickly, and she felt the door press coldly into her back as they slumped against it. His hands felt like they were everywhere, his tongue exploring, and she gave back as good as she got.

She jumped when the code panel beeped at the incorrect code, and Len pulled away. She could feel things begin to get awkward, so she did the first thing that sprang to mind and opened the door. She quickly slid inside and didn't look back at him as she cursed her stupidity.

\--

Christine was tucked away in her usual carrel in the medical branch library when Len found her. He held out a cup, and she could smell it was her favourite coffee. A grateful smile was easy.

"Thanks."

Len shifted uneasily on his feet, and she was glad he felt as awkward as she did. Christine looked up at him, though she had to squint as the light shone directly in her eyes. "About last night," Len started but trailed off. He cleared his throat but she just wanted to get the whole thing behind them.

"Let's just forget it shall we?" She knew she sounded just as uneasy. "We were drunk, stressed and lonely."

She felt as relieved as Len obviously did as his whole body relaxed.

"Yeah." He glanced over at her notes. "You on McCormack's lecture series?"

She nodded, and he pulled a seat across, and it was easy enough to fall into an argument about the research.

* * *

  
**2.**

Len cupped her face gently and leaned in for a soft kiss. "Are you drunk?" He pulled back a little.

Christine was sure her expression revealed just how bemused she was, especially when his lips, had only just skimmed hers. Not a proper kiss at all, and it was hard not to pout. "No."

"Stressed?"

The realisation hit her, and she grinned as it did. "More or less all the time. I have a tyrant for a boss." She laughed at the expression on his face. "I might be a little bit lonely as well." She reached up and wrapped her arms around his neck. "But that's only because we've been idiots and waited too long."

He raised an eyebrow but he was smiling. "We?"

She nodded, and she was pretty sure her grin was splitting her face as she leaned in for a deeper kiss. Her fingers clenched in his hair, and when they eventually pulled away, his grin was matching hers. She felt completely out of breath. "Do you want a night cap?" Christine's voice was soft, and she twisted a curl of hair at the nape of his neck around her finger as she waited for an answer.

"I would love one."

She bit her lip as it felt like her smile couldn't get any wider, and Len kissed her again before she could say anything else. She hated to pull away, but there was no way she was putting on a show in the corridor. Len kept his hands on her waist though, and she felt giddy when he showed no sign of letting go as they entered her quarters.

\--

Christine sighed as the alarm went off. Beside her, she could hear Len grumble as well. It was such a great feeling to roll over and bury her face in his shoulder. She felt him tense a little, probably in surprise, but then he relaxed against her.

"Do we have to get up?" Christine asked, though it probably took a minute to translate properly.

"If we don't, Uhura and Janice will tease you for even longer." He was biting back a grin when she finally looked up at him.

Christine rolled off him. "Don't remind me. They will be bad enough asking for all the details at lunch." Her mood brightened and her smile matched it. "I wouldn’t smile if I were you, Jim won't be any better." She laughed at his groan, and that was enough to make her move out of bed.

* * *

  
**3.**

They quietly made their way out of the mess hall and left the still lively party behind. They broke out into a run as soon as they were away from the door. He was pulling on her arm as they ran, and she knew he was just as eager as she was not to get caught.

Christine was laughing by the time they stopped in front of a turbolift, and she gasped for breath as they waited for one to arrive.

She gave up trying to stay upright as her laughter died down and slumped against the wall, her head rolling onto Len's shoulder. He pulled away slightly, and grumbled something despite still laughing. She guessed one of her hair pins had poked him in the shoulder.

She laughed again as she stood up straight again. "Sorry, it's just these shoes are hard to run in." She was also wondering how he managed to grumble and laugh at the same time, but there would be plenty of time later to think about that mystery.

Len snorted, and he looked as if he knew exactly what she was thinking. "Would you rather the risk of someone noticing we had escaped?"

She nudged him on the shoulder. "We didn't escape!"

Her breathing had returned to normally thankfully, and she stood up to her full height. "We left early to take full advantage of our honeymoon. There is a difference." She felt herself grin again.

Len let out a chuckle and grabbed her waist, spinning her around. She let out a shriek of laughter at the movement that he silenced by kissing her. "I knew there was a reason I married you." He muttered against her lips.

She deepened the kiss, moulding herself against him like she had done so many times before. The kiss carried on as a turbolift arrived, and they barely pulled apart enough for her to speak their destination.

\--

Christine stared out the window of the transport taking them to their holiday cabin. It was fascinating to watch as the scenery slowly changed from high rises of the city to the rich reds of the native fauna further out. Her hand lay nestled in Len's, but she never realised how absorbed in the scenery she had become until she felt Len staring at her.

She had been neglecting him, especially at the start of their honeymoon so she forgave him with a sloppy grin. "Sorry."

"It's nice to know the scenery is better to look at than me." His smile belied his sarcastic tone.

Christine squeezed his hand. "Well, I've only got 10 days to appreciate that. I intend to appreciate you for a hell of a lot longer." She grinned and leaned in for a kiss.

She forgot all about the scenery.

* * *

  
**4.**

Len frowned at the PADD in his hand.

"Most people are happy to retire." Christine suppressed a smile when he startled at her voice, and she moved behind his chair to lean down and put her arms around his neck.

He gave a harrumph in response, and she laughed, the sound reverberating around their lounge. She didn't need to look at the PADD to know it contained one of the children's latest adventures, and he was feeling nostalgic. It was time to change his mind.

She pulled the PADD out of his hand and slid into his lap just as he began to complain. She put a finger on his lips to stop him and settled herself straddling him comfortably. The expression on his face at this was still adorable, even after all the years they had been together.

"Just think of all the journals you can read, the research you can keep up with now you have free time." She put her arms around his neck again and leaned forward to brush against him. She played with the hair at his nape "Or all the catching up with family and friends we can do, the long, leisurely mornings in bed we can have?" She smiled suggestively, and she pressed closer against him as she kept talking.

Len was grinning now, and she could feel his pulse increase. "Well, when you put it that way…" He moved forward the short distance necessary to kiss her, and she sighed in happiness as his arms settled around her waist and the kiss deepened. The PADD fell to the floor, but she couldn't care less as Len's hands, and mouth, told her exactly what he thought of her suggestions.

\--

Christine looked up from the latest news bulletin when Len walked in the room with a grin on his face. She looked at him expectantly.

"That was T'Vel from Medical. They are coming close to a breakthrough on the Ireli virus but they need a couple more experienced researchers to help things along."

She could feel her grin grow to match Len's. "And what did you say?"

"That I would talk to you but we would probably be there in the morning."

She knew Len was watching her to gauge her reaction, and she wasn't in the mood to torment him too much.

"Comm him back and confirm it then." She put the bulletin down and started a list of things they would need to deal with first. She paused and looked up at him. "What did I tell you?" She grinned as she couldn't resist teasing him a little.

He gave the sigh he always did when she teased him, and dropped a kiss on her forehead. "All right, all right. I should know by now that you're always right." He smiled affectionately as he said it, and she felt him squeeze her shoulder before he wandered off to start packing.

* * *

  
5.

Len sat perfectly still despite the bustle going on around them. He focused entirely on Christine's shallow breathing as he gripped her hand tightly. There weren't enough monitors to spare to read out her vital statistics, but the faintness of her pulse, and the gradual slowing of her breathing told him what he didn't want to hear.

He was aware that the room slowly calmed around them, the worst of the epidemic over now that the antibody had been discovered.

Just not in time to help Christine.

He clenched his other hand, and ignored the worried glances sent in his direction by the other medical staff.

He felt his breath catch in his throat as her breathing grew a little ragged, and her face contorted in pain. Len reached out blindly for a hypospray before he remembered there was none to spar, and his fist clenched in anger again. He gripped her hand tighter, and he forced himself to take a deep breath. This wasn't helping her. He unclenched his fist and reached for a damp cloth.

He wiped her face and neck, to no avail. Desperate now, he leaned forward and kissed her forehead. He muttered words of reassurance and love under his breath, any and all words that popped into his head. Half of them were probably nonsense, but she always said she liked the sound of his voice. He tried not to think that he would never hear hers again.

Her breathing evened out a little, thankfully, but he didn't dare move from his position beside her.

\--

He felt Jim drop a hand on his shoulder, but he was too numb to react. He was dimly aware that Jim showed no outward reaction, just pulled out his communicator.

"I've got him. Beam us up, Scotty."

They materialised in a small room, and Len finally felt everything hit him. "Jim," he trailed off as he looked around and tried not to fall apart.

Jim was subdued. "We've got everything under control. Don't worry."

He let Jim usher them through the corridors, and felt Scotty falling in on the other side of him.

They arrived at a set of small quarters, and Jim directed Len to a seat before he started speaking. "Spock and Uhura have gone to see the kids. They," Jim trailed off, clearly lost for words for once.

"It was just supposed to be a goddammed holiday. Celebrate our anniversary." Len could feel himself start to shake. "We couldn't just sit by and watch."

"We know." Jim spoke quietly, and the room fell into silence as Len fell apart.  



End file.
